The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-06-18
BEnRlMs SEA.
Our Rights-.An Historic and Disputed
Title.

Henry w. Elliot. of the Smith
sonian Institution, is one OF the
best-informed men in the United
States respecting the Alaska fisher
les. He has passed several seasons
in the islands of Behring sea, and
has written an excellent volume on
the Arctic Province. In the follow
ing letter he presents a compact
statement Of the rights of the
United States in that land-lOcked
sea. The question is of large inn
portance to us on this coast, as it
relates to rights of fishery and trade
in those waters. In setting forth our
grounds of title Mr.. Elliot says:
In renewing the charter of the
Russian-American Company the
Emperor Alexander, September A.,
1921, published to all the powers
of the civilized world an edict or
ukase which declared the absolute
dominion of the Russian crown
over all Russian-American territory
and waters-seas and BAYS. What
the car meant by this edict of Sep
tember, 1921, was then as well un-
derstood by the powers of the earth
as it is now; to Great Britain in
especial it was clear and ineligible,
for as early as 1766 chart of the
Kamchatkan Behring) sea and the
North Pacific or Eastern ocean
was made by order of the st. Peters
burg Academy of Sciences 1t bears
the date 1853 and is to be found in
Muller's "Voyages ct Decouvertes
faites par les Russes lie long des
cotes de la Mer Glaciale ct sur
rOcean Oriental" etc, Amsterdam,
1866. in 1905 a finely engraved
series of charts of the world was
published in an immense oblong
folio at London by Thomas
Kitchin. ST., aided by captains OF
the royal navy. In this volume is
chart which accurately bounds
and designates the waters now
known as Behring sea and the
North Pacific ocean; but on it
Behring sea is termed the " sea OF
Kamchatka." Otherwise the nom
enclature of land and water in 1905
is exactly as it stands on our charts
to-day.
This early authoritative map OF
Behring sea and the North Pacific
ocean shows those waters In thelI
landed bounds just as clearly and
quite as accurately as our best
photographic charts do at the pres
ent moment. When, therefore, SIX.
teen years later, Alexander asserted
the supreme authority of Russia
over this sea, it was perfectly wei!
understood in the British Colonial
office then what he meant and
what he was doing. No protest
was made against this authority O.
Russia over the waters OF Bchrlns
sea then, and none has ever beer
made since until last year by an,
civilized power whatever-Grea
Britain least of all. But in 1S2:
| the Russians themselves, as well a!
British and American traders, de
lsired this strict letter of prOhibi
ton to foreign commerce abated al
far as it related TO Alaska ports o
the North Pacific ocean, or rathe
those on the northwest coast O
international high sea. Thereupor
notifications to that end wer'
made by the Emperor Alexande
i'm his ukase of August, 1924, an
nouncing a treaty between tn
United States and Russia, and hi
ukase of February, 1925, announc
ing a similar agreement betweel
Great Britain and Russia as wei
as defining the boundary betweel
British North America and Rus
sian America, which stands on tn
map to-day. In all of this CORES
pondence and the full details of it
proclamation you will not find tn
. slightest reference made by tn
United States or Great Britain ask
, ing for any rights or privileges il
the "Sea of Kamchatka" 10
. Behring sea-, yet both power
knew as we'll then as they do to
day exactly what and where th
watery limits of Behring sea were
In the bright light Of this ur
, questioned authority of Russi
, over the waters of Behring sea fror
, 1745 up to the hour of the parti:
session to us in 1867, the govern
e ment of Russia drew in explici
: terms that firm line of pclagi
+; boundary and division of thes
waters of her sea of Behring-
E line of separation between her S
h berian Kamchatkan shores an
I ours of Alaska, saying, in efec
e $50 far you can can come towar
s our possessions, and no further
4 We turn to this treaty Of cession-
our deed of Alaska from Russia
and we find that this pelagic bount
ary line runs in southwesterly d
rection, so as to include in OF
# grant the westward island Of tt
, Aleutian chain; SO that the mars
j. time territory thus acquired by II
j. United States is bounded on tt